The present invention relates to barcode printing and scanning devices, and in particular an autonomous labeling device capable of printing a barcode on a label and scanning the printed barcode for an accuracy verification before the label is applied to a package.
In a materials handling facility, such as an order fulfillment center, multiple customer orders are received, where each order specifies one or more items from inventory (which may also be referred to as stock storage) to be shipped to the customer that submitted the order. To fulfill the customer orders, a fulfillment center control system (also referred to herein as a “control system”), such as a type having a processor executing warehouse management software, can instruct operators regarding a location within the fulfillment center where the one or more items specified in each customer order is stored in inventory. Under direction of the control system, the one or more items can be retrieved or “picked” from inventory, singulated, and then inducted into a conveyance mechanism that routes the items to particular destinations, such as sorting stations, in accordance with the customer orders currently being processed. In this process, the control system assigns each picked item a unique identification that is associated with the customer order for which the item was picked. The control system instructs the conveyance mechanism and any human operator(s) therein to direct each picked and singulated item to a designated destination within the materials handling facility, such as to a designated sorting station where items are organized (such as into containers) into units of items based on their respective customer orders, and onward to an order processing station, such as a packing station. It is to be appreciated that each sorted unit of items can have a single item (such a unit can be referred to as a “single”) or a plurality of items (such a unit can be referred to as a “multi”), depending on the respective customer order.
At the packing station, units of items for customer orders are processed, packed, and labeled for shipping to the customers. For each package, a shipping label typically displays data, such as a shipment identification encoded in a barcode printed on the label. In a native format, the shipment identification (also referred to herein as a “shipment ID”) can be represented as a series of alpha-numeric characters that are assigned by the control system and linked by the control system with order shipment information (such as the customer's name and delivery address) stored in computer memory accessible by the processor of the control system. The control system can also associate the shipment ID with additional order processing information, such as warehouse routing information for subsequent routing within the fulfillment center, as discussed further below. Thus, the barcodes on the shipping labels convert native source data sets, such as the alpha-numeric shipment IDs, into encoded data, particularly “barcode data.”
As used throughout the present disclosure, the term “barcode” means a visual representation of information in a machine-readable format presented on a surface that can be optically scanned. Barcodes can be categorized as one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), or three-dimensional (3D). Also, as used herein with reference to barcodes, the shortened terms “readable”, “readability”, and their derivatives mean “machine-readable”, “machine-readability”, and similar such derivatives, respectively.
1D barcodes, also referred to as “linear barcodes”, can be scanned along a single line that traverses the barcode, and typically visually represent the information in parallel lines and spaces having varying widths. Non-limiting examples of 1D barcodes include UPC (“Universal Product Code”), EAN (“European Article Numbers”, including EAN-8 (eight digits) and EAN-13 (thirteen digits)), Code128, and ITF-13 barcodes.
2D barcodes, also referred to as “matrix barcodes”, visually represent the information in a 2D array of geometric patterns, such as black and white squares, which requires scanning the 2D array. Non-limiting examples of 2D barcodes include QR code, Data Matrix, and PDF417 barcodes.
3D barcodes can be characterized as a 1D or 2D barcode that employs texture, such as the depth and/or height of a barcode character relative to the scan surface, as the additional dimension. For example, a 3D barcode can be conceptualized of as a 1D or 2D barcode engraved or embossed directly onto the surface of an item (such as a product, product packaging, or shipment packaging). Such barcodes can be scanned by a laser scanner that also measured the time for each beam to reflect from the textured barcode and return to the scanner. The scanner uses the aforementioned time measurement to calculate barcode character “depth”. It is to be appreciated that a 1D barcode that employs texture as an additional dimension would typically be referred to as a “3D barcode,” even if it technically requires scanning in only two dimensions.
Downstream of the packing station, the control system typically uses the barcode data, particularly the encoded shipment ID, to route the package along additional conveyance to further downstream processes and/or locations within the fulfillment center, such as to a staging destination associated with a particular delivery zip code. At the staging destination, the package can be palletized or otherwise bundled with other packages for loading onto a delivery vehicle for further delivery, such as to a shipping warehouse or to a public or private carrier for finally shipping the package to the customer address. The barcode data (e.g., the encoded shipment ID), which can include a five- or nine-digit zip code, for example, can also be scanned by the carrier(s) at one or more steps before, during, or at the conclusion of delivery to the customer. Such scans are typical in delivery processes or services that offer delivery tracking.
Because processes within the fulfillment center that are downstream of the packaging station (and possibly employed by the carrier) can rely upon the barcode data for accurate package routing and delivery, it is important that the barcode is printed accurately.